The 3D Animation Market is set to Boom

Walt Disney’s Mickey Mouse, Pillsbury’s Doughboy (aka Poppin’ Fresh), and Frosted Flakes’ Tony the Tiger: These are just a few of the numerous animated mascots which have become giants of advertising and flagships for their brands. Animated mascots are visually dynamic, engaging, and perfectly adaptable. But those facts are practically self-evident. What isn’t nearly as obvious is the fact that the 3D animation market is valued at $21.06 billion in 2014. And according to a report produced by Markets and Markets, the 3D animation market will be worth $40.78 billion by the end of 2019. The entertainment sector will continue to be the driving force of this market’s boom, while the services market is projected to be the fastest growing.

Animation’s Advantages

1. Boundless Options

An animation’s intrinsic ability to be whatever, wherever, or whenever gives a company complete freedom with their ideas. Animation can molded for certain cultures or environments or rather made to transcend borders. Animations are also timeless (Mickey is 83 years old!) So while some companies are burning through resources on casting, filming on location, and props, those who adopt animation are braining-storming wild effects and visual masterpieces. No wonder the market is projected to almost double in just five years.

2. Aesthetically Powerful

Animations are kinetic, energetic, and captivating, while slogans fall short as static, limited, and flat. With a successful animation, slogans, many times, are either not widely known, non-existent, or linked inherently to the company’s animation. Disney has no official slogan (their amusement park’s slogans are most attributed to the whole company); but their animated mascot has lasted 80+ years as the face of the company. Pillsbury does have a concrete slogan (and it does receive praise), but the image and laugh of their giggly casts large shadow. And just try to say “They’re Gr-r-r-reat” without picturing Tony the Tiger.

3. More than Cartoons

I have focused the majority of this article on colorful animated mascots, but animation can be used for a myriad of endeavors. CGI or computer-generated imagery is another very popular channel for animation. CGI is most known by its use for animating “green-screens.” Animation is also at play when simple still-pictures are made into dynamic movies. And animation can be edited on top of standard videos to amplify a basic movie. Animation is everywhere, and especially the emerging field of 3D animation; and its benefits are still being revolutionized.